Tellux record player

[Max Ripple]

As other's have advised,it's most likely to be the pick up cartridge at fault.If you can get a buzzing noise from the speaker when you touch the connections to the pick up,that would suggest that the amplifier is working ok.
You'll be hard pressed to find another X5m in good order,but you could use one of those cheapy far eastern replacements that are all over the well known auction site!
Be careful to buy one that comes with the mounting bracket too though,as most of them don't.
If you don't get any buzzing at the pu connections,it would seem as though the amplifier is u/s.Tellux,like many cheap stereo maker's at the time,used integrated circuit amplifiers,that often fail.Most of the "chips" are obsolete and unobtainable nowaday's of course.
The unit will be repairable of course,and as it's of such sentimental value to you,would be worth doing surely?
Nick

[Cobaltblue]

Although the other way around the tracks on you board suggest an amplifier very similar to this one in an earlier thread
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=101469

There is a clear picture of the amp and the transistors used in post #13

If its similar then its a pretty simple amp and there were some minor upgrades suggested in the same thread.

Cheers

Mike T

[Michael Maurice]

The O/P said he had done the buzz test and got very little if anything out of it.

From what the Chris says, I would think the motor acts as a transformer as well,

Another test you can do is with the volume on maximum, put your screwdriver (or finger) on the centre tag of the volume control. If you get a healthy buzz then the amplifier will be working. In which case replace the volume control.

If you don’t get a buzz, it would indicate the amplifier is faulty, post a picture of the component side of the board. If there are any IC’s on them (they will have multiple pins or legs on them) let us have the numbers and we can advise from there.

[ChrisChilton]

Ok so my next step is probably to work out how to remove the pcb from its fixings. I’ll get onto that later on.

Thanks again everyone.

[Edward Huggins]

On the side (not the back) of the "Volume Control" potentiometer, you will see 3 soldered connections. Use the centre one - this is the slider which controls the volume.

[ChrisChilton]

On full volume and touching the central point on the volume switch I get a slight crackle and that’s it. https://www.dropbox.com/s/0bdej7nd3i...g%203.m4a?dl=0

[John10b]

Some pictures of the amp etc would be useful.
John

[ChrisChilton]

I’ve just got to work out how to remove it.

[Radio Wrangler]

I've just checked 'up top' and Paul doesn't lit Tellux in the datasheet downloads, so we're working blind until Chris gets going with photos.

One very serious warning: Is the supply from the motor, and if so, is it an isolated winding or is it just a tapping on the mains winding?

THIS COULD BE A LIVE CHASSIS UNIT and it could be very unwise to suggest anything be touched with mains connected. We need to check this before going any further. It uses transistors sure, but it could still be dangerous.

DAvid

[Michael Maurice]

David: BSR only gave you two choices of motor, one has a 90V tap for valve heaters and the chassis are almost always live, the other has an isolated winding giving around 18V for transistor amplifiers. I'm pretty sure this record player has the latter

[ChrisChilton]

Right, so what you’re saying is that I shouldn’t have been touching contacts while it was switched on? Bit late now for that!

[Techman]

Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler

Not such bad news.

If the cartridge does prove to be bad, then there are some cheap 'red-and-black' ones out of China which seem to be quite OK.

I don't agree with the first statement, but I agree with the second statement, which somewhat contradicts the first one

You need to have a direct understanding of these old things

An amplifier fault in a single stage valve amplifier is good news, as it's 'normally' an easy fix, whereas a replacement high output crystal cartridge is unobtainable and very expensive if one can be found at all.

However, a fault in a transistor or IC type amplifier can often be a real pain by comparison, particularly for the unskilled. Whereas this type of amplifier being a 'multistage' amplifier, has the extra stage/s to be able to amplify the output from the very much cheaper lower output cartridges available from China.

So I'll very strongly stick to my original statement of "No buzz = Bad news" in this particular instance

Hopefully, the OP will be lucky and this will turn out to be a simple fault, such as a bad connection (you never know), or it may be tin whiskers on a transistor, or just a junction fault on one in the first amplifying stage (quite common), or a balancing pot with a bad wiper in the output stage causing some grief - time will tell and fingers crossed for him.

[toshiba tony]

I think you are being told you should be safe working on the amp side as it is fed from an isolated winding, A photo of the amp, I'm sure, will aide everyone everyone in fault diagnosis. But as has been said, if it's an IC you may be stuck. Around that time the unreliable SN76013ND was popular, very scarce. However TBA800's are easily available. Other chips were used but these were very common. They were both regular offenders.

[Techman]

So it looks like this is an IC amplifier then. Let's hope it's a type of chip that's still available - that's if it's faulty of course.

[Techman]

Originally Posted by ChrisChilton

Right, so what you’re saying is that I shouldn’t have been touching contacts while it was switched on? Bit late now for that!

No, it's an isolated type. I would have warned you otherwise

[ChrisChilton]

So there are two small nuts that appear to be holding the pcb to the case, I assume I need to remove the volume and tone knobs, then the nuts before pulling the pcb down from its location?

[John10b]

Just being cautious, and not intending to offend, but have you any knowledge or experience of working on electrics? Hope you don’t mind me asking?
John

[ChrisChilton]

Hi there, I am not offended in the slightest, I have little experience to be honest but I am a fast learner, will listen to all advice and desperately want this to work.

I am taking it very slowly on purpose, sorry if I am frustrating anyone with my questions.

[ChrisChilton]

There you go.
The back of the pcb is also dirty in places, would this be worth a clean up?

[ben]

Don't worry about the dirt for now,.

Do this quick test. In the first picture you have a bronze coloured clamp with a black screw, loosen the screw and remove the clamp. Move the two small metal 'barrels', (germanium transistors) away from the chassis, move one of them out of the clamp too, then briefly ( half a minute or so) plug in and try the player. Do you get any sound?